


Memories of Within

by moonsamurai



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, I'm Sorry, i forgot four, i've done a disservice, longest i've done wow, sequel baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:26:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22104037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonsamurai/pseuds/moonsamurai
Summary: A breathless sob escaped his mouth. He squeezed the book and shook his head.He'd hide it. No one would ever see it again.He was alone with his past in the secrecy of the spring, with no one to listen to him except for the wind and the fairies.
Relationships: Four & Twilight (Linked Universe), Legend & Twilight (Linked Universe), Sky & Four (Linked Universe)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 61





	Memories of Within

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the not very long awaited sequel to Claustrophobia! Again, TW for abuse and stuff like that.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy it as much as I do!
> 
> Shoutout to KayZ, or KZelda! She's amazing and her fics are great and so are SolarEclipse's, Sillus's, Pan's, everyone's basically :D

It had been two weeks.

Two weeks since Time had seen Twilight fall apart in the cave. Two weeks since he learned of Twilight's childhood.

His protege had gone back to being 'okay,' but Time was still worried. He was a lot more unsure about what set Twilight off now, and was starting to get a little more careful about this.

He still didn't know all of the details, but Time was determined to never see Twilight like that ever again.

If that man was alive, Time would hunt him down. He would pay.

His thoughts were interrupted by Legend calling out.

"It's a portal!"

Indeed, a few steps ahead of them was the signature purple, black portal, the triangle beckoning, the inside swirling mesmerizingly.

"Who's world will it lead to this time?" Wind whispered, staring ahead, watching the inside circle like water.

"We won't know unless we go in," Warriors answered, stepping up next to Time. "I'll have the honor of going in first."

With that, the captain took a step inside the portal and vanished without a trace.

"I suppose we follow them."

An unnatural quiet settled in as one by one they all disappeared from the world, and the triangle shrunk into nothing.

Twilight stepped out of the portal last, taking a glance around.

Trees. A lot of trees, colors of red, green, and yellow blending together into pastel.

Everyone else was in front of him, commenting on the landscape.

He took a deep breath and he could hear the others' voices blurring into one. The cool, sweet scent of home filled his nose and he turned around.

He could recognize the path leading to the bridge above the gap. He turned around and saw the path to Coro.

"-rest, it's kind of pretty," Legend was saying, a deadpanning look on his face. "Does anyone know where we are?"

Twilight opened his mouth to answer.

"Home."

He was quiet, but the others all heard it.

"This is your Hyrule?" Time asked.

Twilight nodded, his mouth twitching upwards slightly.

"This is the Forest of Faron," he replied.

"Faron?" Sky repeated, his eyes widening a touch.

Twilight nodded again, taking another breath. He could hear the sounds of nature, the rustling, the chirping...

He felt at home just as much as his actual home, where he could whisper secrets into the wind no one would ever hear...

Which was just around the corner.

"Well if you know where we're going, lead the way," Wild said, gesturing in front of him.

Twilight's lips twitched upwards again.

"Before we start out, there's somewhere I'd like to show you guys to..."

With Twilight at the lead, the boys walked into a clearing, where they could see a large tree house and a sign. More trees surrounded it with grass concealing rocks and stumps.

Across from the ladder, they could see a little pathway leading down to somewhere.

As the others admired the view, Twilight dashed to the ladder, almost running up the wooden thing.

"Guys, this is my house," he called, pointing at the door. "Come on in!"

He opened the door and slid inside out of view.

Next, Time climbed up and opened the door fully. The others followed the eldest and took a look inside.

It was a little disorganized with stuff hanging around, but it was mostly a cozy little place with platforms with stuff on them.

They looked up and saw an opening with boards on it, like a window. And Twilight was at the highest platform, looking out through the window.

But just past the coziness, the warmth, the happy memories stored inside, Time could almost feel cold. Frigid, even.

That icy feeling tickled the back of his neck, and something had happened.

Well, many things had happened that would stay secret to the world forever, locked away in the trees.

Wild was more focused on the pot of stew bubbling in front of them, above a fire and inside its stone house.

"Smells like pumpkins and cheese," Wild remarked dreamily. "Smells really good..."

"Twilight you can cook?" Legend asked, pointing at the pot.

The Link in question turned around and shook his head with a short laugh.

"I can barely cook. Uli comes inside sometimes to give me food or to try and teach me how to cook," he said, stifling another laugh threatening to escape.

"Who's Uli?"

Twilight was quiet for a moment.

"You'll see."

After everyone changed out of their armor and normal attire, Twilight promptly dragged them out (read: kicked them out) and started down the path leading to wherever it lead to.

Smiling, Twilight dashed down and turned towards the others, his smile growing wider.

The others were silent, taking in the view.

Quaint houses with tiny gardens growing at the side stood next to a river which lead to a lake. A watermill spilled the crystal clear liquid next to another houses surrounded by grass. Two bridges stood over the river and across the neighborhood was a path leading upwards, to where a sign read something most of them couldn't understand.

The sun was setting, casting the glow of twilight on to the village. People were coming out, closing up for the day, and children had started growing tired.

"Welcome to Ordon Village!"

Twilight was a lot happier than the others had ever seen him, including Time. It was a little surprising, honestly.

"This is my home," he said, turning around and surveying the area. It was just as beautiful as he left it.

"It's pretty small," Warriors commented, his eyes darting this way and that.

"Hey, it's small but it's nice," Twilight argued, his smile never leaving his face.

"It's breathtaking," Time jumped in, exhaling.

Twilight shook his head, heading down.

"I'll show you guys around."

"Link!"

A childish cry of glee and a tackle later, Twilight had stumbled back, a child in his arms.

He had black hair with a red cloth tied around his forehead, a huge grin on his face.

"Talo!" Twilight cried, ruffling the boy's hair. "How're ya doin', buddy?!"

"You're back!" Talo shouted, burying his face into to Twilight's chest.

"We've been doing fine," another, younger voice cut in.

Behind Talo came up a toddler, with a bun on his head and a large forehead.

"We should be asking if you've been doing alright," he said, crossing his arms.

"Malo! Oh no, I've been doing fine," Twilight replied, letting go of Talo.

_That was a lie._

"Really?" Malo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm fine," Twilight pressed on, rolling his eyes. "These guys have been making sure I haven't been doing anything stupid," Twilight said, pointing back at the other Links.

"...If you say so."

"LINK!"

A female voice shouted Twilight's name, and a girl appeared. She was small and wearing two little pigtails, her eyes huge and her face decorated with freckles.

"You're back! I've missed you!" she cried, dashing towards Twilight with a smile.

Twilight caught the girl in his arms and laughed, hugging her.

"I missed ya too, Beth!"

"Link? Is that- is that you?!" another female voice yelled.

Twilight looked up, releasing Beth. He stopped breathing, his eyes widening in joy.

"Ilia! Colin!"

Twilight dashed towards the two, trapping both of them in a tight embrace.

"Link!" Ilia repeated happily, throwing her arms around Twilight. "We missed you so much!"

The younger boy, Colin, wrapped his arms around the older boy's torso.

"We were wondering when you were gonna come home!" the blond boy said, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Ilia stepped away, breaking free of the embrace as Twilight knelt down to Colin's level.

"Colin, I'm never going to just leave you all hanging, alright? I'll always find a way home, and that's a promise," Twilight whispered, letting Colin cry into his shoulder.

The others watched from a distance, faces ranging from smiles to almost sadness.

_Didn't they wish they had a bond like that when they were young..._

Twilight pulled away from Colin, smile on his face.

"You've grown into a fine young man, Colin. You'll be okay for a little while longer, won't you?"

Sniveling, the younger boy wiped away his tears and nodded determinedly.

"That's the spirit!" Twilight cheered, patting Colin's head. He stood up and stretched, turning back to the others.

"Now I suppose I show you guys around like I said I would," he said, spreading his arm out towards the village.

"Welcome!" the younger kids chorused, smiles on their faces.

An hour or so later, Twilight and the others headed back up to his house, chattering about the people they met and the view.

"You guys are silly," Twilight laughed, opening the door and showing them in. "Y'all know what to do. I'm gonna head back for some pumpkins and Epona. Gotta go to the ranch for a bit. Be back soon," he announced, slipping outside and closing the door.

The eight of them looked around again.

"Well, I guess we just set up for now," Time said, shrugging and picking a spot.

Legend headed towards the bookshelf, filled with covers of black books with silver writing.

All except a couple stray, leather bound ones stuck in between some of the black ones.

"What's this?" Legend murmured, picking out a black one and an old, brown one. It felt almost papery and soft under his touch, but strong and durable.

He took a look at the black one first, flipping through the pages quickly. Stars, swirls, letters, nothing too important. He could see little annotations and underlining, as if someone had been taking notes on it.

"What are you reading?" Time asked, right next to Legend.

"Gah!"

Legend handled his surprise with total care, which meant he threw the books up in the air and Time caught it.

An involuntary chuckle bubbled out of Time's mouth as he looked at what Legend had been trying to read.

"Huh. 'B' and an 'M...'" Time translated, squinting at the cover. "I can't read any more."

"'B' and 'M?' Huh..." Legend repeated, blinking. "Maybe I can..."

He took out his pack and searched through it, finally pulling out a book.

"The Book of Mudora," he breathed, opening it up. "My translation (hack) book."

Legend stared at the cover, flicking back to the Book of Mudora back and forth, his brows furrowing in confusion.

By now, the others had gathered around Legend, watching him carefully.

"...Black Magic."

The others snapped to him quickly.

"Why does Twilight have a book on _black magic?"_ Four asked uneasily, staring at the book as if it were going to burst into flames any second.

"Don't ask me, I thought he didn't like magic!" Legend replied, shrugging helplessly.

"He probably had it before he started disliking magic," Time tried. But why would Twilight have a book about black magic while living in a farming village?

"It's plausible, but it still doesn't explain why he had it," Warriors responded, confusion etched into his features.

"Try reading this one," Wind interrupted, holding up the leather bound one. "It's hand written."

_Link._

Legend grabbed the book and flipped to a random page. Time looked down at it, his eye narrowing.

"Huh... that's a date. And an entry number," Time said, trying to read the newer writing.

Legend flipped a page and started, brows furrowing. His mouth opened.

_"Entry 16_

_Oct. 5_

_Papa left me home today alone. He said he needed to go somewhere for a few hours and said not to touch anything. I didn't know what to do so I sat down and waited. And I was hungry, but I waited._

_I don't like it when he hits me, so I didn't touch anything._

_He came back later with pumpkins and cheese, and I saw him dump it into the pot. I'm kind of hungry right now- he didn't give me anything. He just told me to shut up. :(_

_Papa is usually like this, but I'm still hungry. I hope he gives me some soup later, or maybe I can steal some._

_Wish me luck._

_-End 10/5-_

_-Link"_

The book nearly slipped out of Legend's hands as he finished. It was completely silent except for the crackling of flames, the rustling of leaves outside.

Time wasn't too surprised, but there was heartache. His heart seemed to break as heard Legend utter those words, those words that would never be heard or seen by anyone outside.

No one would ever know about what Twilight had gone through.

The secret had been locked away, hidden amongst the trees.

No one was supposed to know.

"What...?" Warriors whispered, his voice gone. "That... no."

Wild was shocked silent, trying to tell himself that that wasn't real.

But Legend had read from the book. He couldn't have just made it up out of nowhere.

"I-"

Time snatched the book from Legend's hands and flipped through it to another entry.

"Read this one."

Legend bit his lip and peered at the page, checking the Book of Mudora. He took a deep breath, steeling himself.

_"Entry 31_

_Apr. 3_

_Papa got really mad at me today. He called me a 'slut' and 'illegitimate.' He said he wished I had never been born and that I was a waste of space._

_I don't know what some of the words meant but they kind of hurt. :(_

_I wish I didn't have to make Papa feel bad like this. He's really nice to me and I think I just make it worse :/ He didn't give me food and locked me into the closet again today. He let me out after but it's scary._

_Papa's been hitting me a lot lately with glass bottles, and it really hurts... :(_

_I hope Papa doesn't hit me tomorrow. Hope to write again soon._

_-End 4/3-_

_-Link"_

Just as Legend finished reading it, the door opened.

"Guys I'm back-"

They all froze, watching Twilight's eyes fall on to them. He saw Legend holding his books and fell silent.

His mouth fell into flat line as he surveyed them.

Time wanted to say something desperately, but words failed him, dying on his lips.

His protege looked furious, but a calm kind of furious.

It was honestly terrifying.

"Why do you have that...?" Twilight whispered, his tone sharp, barely controlled. "Why are you reading that?"

Legend opened his mouth to answer, and then he closed it. He couldn't answer. Of course he couldn't.

There was nothing he could say to defend himself.

"We were just curious," Warriors answered quickly. "We-"

Twilight narrowed his eyes, Warriors' words blurring into silence. He was more focused on Legend.

Legend was holding his past in his hands. He was _holding his secrets, every dark part of him, **everything he had been trying to hide for the longest time.**_

Had they read it?

His face stayed calm while inside he was starting to fall apart. The tiniest ripples of panic slowly started growing into a wave as he tried to calm himself down.

_They couldn't understand his Hylian, they didn't know what the signs said, none of them could-_

**_But what about when Legend read one of Time's books with his Book of Mudora?_ **

**_Wasn't that other book Legend had opened up the Book of Mudora?_ **

"Twi-"

In a flash, Twilight had snatched the leather bound book- *his journal, his secrets, his past*- and had tried to bolt out the door.

Just as quick, Time's hand lashed out, grabbing Twilight's hand and tripping him to the floor. It wasn't on purpose.

A fast reflex he had honed.

Yet Twilight didn't know that.

His protege fell into a roll, wrenching out of Time's grasp. Twilight glanced back, and there was-

Fear? Anger? Shock?

_All of them._

"Wait, Twilight-"

The door slammed, and he was gone.

Twilight leapt off from the platform, landing squarely on the ground. His eyes were watering, he couldn't breathe, his feet hurt, and his mind hurt.

Straightening himself, he dashed away, running away, from his house, from his village, from his _family,_ from _everything-_

His feet pounded on the floor as he sprinted through the forest, heaving for breath as he tried not to scream or cry.

He was choking on his breath, he needed more, he was _panicking_ he didn't know what to do-

He could see the bridge up ahead and...

Twilight stopped right in front of the spring. The gates had long since been repaired, and it was opened.

He could almost feel the presence of Ordona, watching him critically.

There weren't as many fairies, but there were still quite a few. Behind them was the light- the Great Fairies.

It was peaceful.

The water was crystal clear, the grass swept aside with the wind, and here, there was nothing that could break the serenity.

He took a few steps inside and collapsed, holding back his screams, holding back his tears, holding back everything back from the world.

The world didn't have to hear his cries, his desperation, his anger.

His anger at his secrets being revealed to people who didn't have to know.

His sorrow in his youth.

Everything he'd gone through.

Fairies flitted over to him, landing on him and fluttering their wings, sensing his distress.

_Deep breaths._

His shoulders shook, unwanted tears rolled down his eyes, and he clutched his journal to his chest.

He gripped his secrets tightly, as if someone would read them again.

His forehead touched the cover. He wanted to seal this book.

He didn't have the heart to throw it away. He wanted to burn it and throw away the ashes so badly, and yet...

Why was he hesitating?

Wasn't he trying to put this behind him?

Trying for a fresh start?

He exhaled shakily, slowly tracing the book's edges.

A breathless sob escaped his mouth. He squeezed the book and shook his head.

_He'd hide it. No one would ever see it again._

He was alone with his past in the secrecy of the spring, with no one to listen to him except for the wind and the fairies.

* * *

It was completely quiet in the house.

The Links were silent, shock coloring their features.

Legend sighed, aggravated. He closed the Book of Mudora and shoved it away in his pack. His face looked akin to shame.

Time turned to him, concern replacing shock.

"It's not your fault," Time said quietly. Legend smiled weakly at the elder.

"Whose is it then?"

"It's not any of our faults."

"Look, Time, I'm the one who grabbed the book. I was the one who started all of this. You don't need to be so generous," Legend responded, turning to place the black book back in its original spot.

The elder was silent, turning to the others.

Wind was especially quiet. He, being the youngest, didn't understand all of it, but... he had been that age just a few years ago.

He could have been in Twilight's place if he was unlucky.

Warriors was sullen, his eyes narrowed. His face had melted into an expressionless husk, trying not to show what he was feeling.

His hands were clenched, ready to grab anything to fight with.

Wild had a combination of shock and _outrage_ on his face. His eyes were slits, his mouth was curled in a snarl, and his eyebrows were scrunched up in rage.

Sky was... appalled, to say the least. His hand was on his sword, his other hand twitching for his shield. His face was... terrifying. He looked truly mad for once.

Hyrule had a look of deep concern etched in his features, even more so since he was the proclaimed medic of the group. He looked ready to bolt after Twilight, but was holding himself back.

Four was a blank slate, his face completely still. His eyes were flashing dangerously, hints of red, blue, green, and purple flickering between each other erratically and angrily.

All of them looked like they were about to go hunting.

"I'll go after Twilight," Legend spoke up, turning to the door. He never looked at the others, not wanting to see the sure shame and blame on their faces.

"Wait Legend," Time responded, straightening. "I'll go too."

"No, I can go alone."

"You don't even know where you're going."

"I-"

Legend paused, knowing he was beaten.

For a moment, he turned back and glared at Time, swearing under his breath and bring his hand up and almost flipping his elder off.

"Look, I'll find him. I'll be fine," Legend said, turning away again. Time sighed and shook his head.

"Legend, just... be careful, alright? With everything you do and say," the elder advised, sitting down. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Old man, don't tell me what I already know," Legend replied, slipping through the door into the outdoors. With a creak, the door closed, leaving the rest of them in silence.

Outside, Legend slid down the platform, landing on his feet lightly. He took a quick look around.

He'd have to start with Ordon and work his way down.

Steeling himself, Legend dashed away towards the village.

Legend made his way down to see the children from earlier playing in the water.

"Hey!" he called, catching their attention. The blond one, Colin, was it? Turned to him and tilted his head with a smile.

"Have you seen Tw- Link?" Legend asked, skidding to a stop.

"No, he came earlier but left after grabbing some pumpkins," the tallest girl, Ilia, yelled back. "Why?"

"I needed to ask him a question," Legend lied, spinning and starting to run back. "Thanks!"

He never saw Ilia staring after him, her eyes narrowing very slowly.

"Something's wrong," Ilia whispered to herself. She looked back at the others, who were watching her curiously.

"Malo, can you watch them and make sure they don't do anything stupid? I'm gonna go after him," she asked, getting out of the water.

"Sure."

With that, Ilia sprinted after the boy.

_'What was that slip up too? Tw-? Something's up.'_

_'So if he's not at Ordon...'_ Legend thought, running back. There was one other path he had come through. Had Twilight left?

No. He wouldn't have.

Legend would never admit this, but he was worried. He was very worried.

"Twilight!" he shouted, dashing through the path. The forest trees swayed with the breeze, looming over him.

There wasn't any response. Just silence.

"Twilight!" Legend repeated, desperation taking hold. He had nothing to be worried about- he and Twilight weren't even all that close!

So why was he starting to panic?

He could see the bridge he crossed earlier. The gates were wide open, but Twilight wouldn't have left, right?

But where else could he have-

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an opening. Inside a circular area was a spring. It looked calm and serene. Legend stopped and peered inside.

He could see Twilight sitting there, hunched over and shaking.

"...Twilight?" Legend breathed, taking a couple steps towards the other boy.

He still wasn't responding. He was trapped in his own world, blocking out reality.

Legend took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He was still worried, but this was a lot better than what he was going through while looking for him.

"Twilight."

It came out more forcefully than he intended, but it was enough to wake Twilight up. The older boy jolted and whirled around, seeing Legend.

His eyes were red and Twilight looked exhausted, but his face morphed into confusion, then nothing.

"Legend? What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, rubbing his eyes.

The words that were supposed to come out disappeared, and the two locked eyes with each other.

Legend took a few steps toward Twilight. Seeing that Twilight wasn't bolting away completely, he risked walking up next to him and sitting down.

Twilight watched the young man sit down next to him, eyeing him carefully.

"Look, I'm- I'm sorry," Legend managed, looking away, his face burning red. He had never been good with apologies.

When Twilight was silent, Legend continued, stammering through it all.

"I know I shouldn't have gone through your stuff, a-and I'm sorry about that."

Twilight was quiet for a moment.

"...You read this," he whispered, holding up the leather bound book. His journal.

"...You didn't deserve any of what happened to you."

A little smile appeared on Twilight's face, but it was empty, void of emotion. His eyes were blank and his face was expressionless.

"I know I didn't, but it didn't stop him from doing it anyways. There's no use dwelling on it anyways."

Sighing, Twilight traced the edges of his book again, the slow movement calming him.

"I'm fine, it's just... I didn't want anyone to ever read this."

"I-"

"You already apologized about it, and I'm _fine,_ Legend. I'm okay," Twilight replied harshly, getting up. He turned around and blinked.

"Ilia, what are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

Ilia stepped out, her gaze focused on Twilight.

"That's not the question. What happened?" she asked, quiet, smoldering rage hidden under the sharp tone. "Why were you crying in the spring?"

Twilight took a step back, hands up in surrender.

"It was a simple misunderstanding, it was nothing."

"If it were so simple why were you in the spring?" Ilia responded, pointing past him. "You only go here so often. Plus, I've only seen you cry once."

It was quiet except for the bubbling water, the tinkling, invisible laugh of the fairies, and their breathing.

The silence was deafening.

"Well?" Ilia pressed, dropping her hand. "What's wrong, Link?"

Twilight shook his head.

"It's none of your concern," he answered, brushing past her.

"Link," Ilia repeated, grabbing his hand and pulling Twilight face to face with her. He lost the grip on his book and dropped it, landing on the hard ground with a dull _thud._

"What's wrong? You can tell me," Ilia whispered.

Twilight was silent, casting his eyes to the journal he had dropped.

She followed Twilight's gaze to the ground and blinked.

"What's this?" she asked, letting go of the Ordonian. She knelt down and picked up the book and turned it around in her hands.

Twilight froze.

It was bad enough that the group knew. But Ilia-

If she knew-

No. No. No.

_No._

"No-" Twilight started, everything he wanted to say, to scream, dying on his lips as he snatched back the book, pushing Ilia away.

"Don't touch this," he said, backing away. "No."

Ilia stumbled back, regaining her footing. Her eyes clouded over with hurt.

_'Link... don't you trust me?'_

Twilight watched Ilia's eyes. Her face had fallen into a frown, her eyes telling a story of sadness and distrust.

"I- I'm sorry, I-" he stuttered, dashing past Ilia.

"Wait, Twi!" Legend called, distress coloring his voice.

He could see Twilight running to the right which meant-

"Wh- Where is he going?!" he yelled, running up to Ilia.

"He's... he's going into Faron Woods," she responded, tears building in her eyes. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "He's most likely going to Hyrule Field from that route, but I'm not sure."

"Good enough," Legend said, not bothering to thank her as he sprinted back to the house.

It had been an hour since Legend had ran after Twilight, hopefully in a successful attempt to calm him down.

Time hadn't moved, only closing his eyes to rest for a bit. Wind was fidgeting, Four had been pacing around, and everyone was in a state of distress.

Sky had never felt so helpless in such a situation. He'd vowed to always help a friend in need, but...

Frustration built up inside. He wanted to do something, he *needed* to do something. Sitting around never made anything better.

He tugged at his sailcloth, trying to ignore the cacophony of thoughts in his mind.

He felt so useless. Why couldn't he give even an ounce of help to those who had supported him through so much?

Sky squeezed his hand into a fist, aware that his nails were digging into his skin.

Why wasn't Legend coming back?

Where was he?

Frustration was replaced with anger. At everyone.

If only they weren't so curious. If only they hadn't snooped around and read that book.

There was something running down his hand. In the light of the afternoon, he could see blood running down his right hand.

"Sky...?"

He turned to see Warriors kneeling down next to him, offering bandages.

"Here, bandage your hand. Don't let it get infected," he whispered, his face expressionless, yet his eyes set in almost disappointment, or even anger.

A faint, almost unnoticeable smile spread on Sky's face.

"They're only small cuts."

"Small cuts or not, they hurt like a bitch when they're infected."

"...Thanks," Sky responded shaking his head. He set to wrapping the white, sterile ~~paper~~ bandages around his hand, focusing on the task at hand.

At least he was doing something.

After wrapping it up, Sky handed the roll of bandages back to Warriors, who accepted it graciously, stuffing it into his medical pack.

"...When do you think he's coming back?"

"I don't know, but when he comes I'm going to have some words with him."

Well, at least the anger wasn't directed towards him.

"Warriors, it's not his fault."

"I know, but..."

Warriors trailed off, casting his eyes to the side. They both knew.

_Someone_ had to take the blame.

"Legend's not at fault here," Sky said firmly, laying a hand on Warriors' shoulder. "It's all of ours."

Warriors sighed, getting more anxious by the second.

He opened his mouth to speak when the door slammed open to reveal Legend, breathing heavily and glaring a hole into the house.

"Guys, Twi's heading to the woods," Legend said, gulping air. "C'mon!"

Upon hearing this, the group scrambled up, grabbing their gear and getting ready to follow Twilight.

Sky jumped up, strapping his sword on. He could hear the faintest chime, the sound of recognition.

"Fi, do you think this is going to go well?" he whispered, clipping his pack to his belt in a hurry.

She chimed lightly twice, but he wasn't able to make out any words. Like always.

He smiled slightly, ripping his attention away from the sword. Everyone was ready.

Legend jumped down to the ground, everyone following closely after.

As they hit the ground, they could see, just a flash, of blue eyes watching them carefully, a girl in a white dress-

She disappeared just as quickly.

The eight of them dashed pass the spring, Legend at the lead. The bridge wobbled and swung as they sprinted across, Legend nearly jumping across.

"Where are we going?!" Warriors yelled, catching up to Legend on the opposite side of Time.

"We're in Faron Woods! Ilia said he might be off to Hyrule Field," he replied, facing Warriors.

Time shook his head, effortlessly keeping up without tiring.

"Pup wouldn't leave us behind without direction," he said, his voice set.

"Time, Twilight literally just-"

"He wouldn't just leave us to fend on our own."

"He does that everyday!" Warriors said, skidding to a stop.

Time was quiet, also stopping. One by one, the others stopped to watch the two.

"He always comes back."

It was completely silent. The wind had died down, the birds were quiet, and it was just...

Deafening. The silence was too loud, a chorus of demeaning thoughts singing in each of their minds.

_Was this what Twilight had felt in the closet? Was this what the little boy had heard when he was only seven?_

_Had the young kid been subjected to this fate?_

Wind shivered. He could feel the tension in the air, rising to its breaking point.

He wrapped his arms around himself. He was losing himself to his thoughts, the thoughts of being useless, the thoughts that he couldn't do anything.

He was really lucky.

The world was a blur of green and blue as he focused on Time and Warriors. The two were arguing, their voices mixing together into one loud sound-

"STOP IT!"

His voice broke, panic seeping into his words.

The others snapped to Wind, who was on the verge of crying. He couldn't silence the noises in his head, everything hurt, and he was panicking.

"How are we going to find Twilight if we keep fighting?" he shouted, his hands balled into fists. "We're having enough trouble as it is, we don't need to fight!"

Wind fell into a heap, trying to wipe every tear away. He was trying so hard to stay strong, but all the stress that had fallen on his shoulders had finally gotten to him.

Sky made his way over, lifting the young boy on to his shoulders.

"He's right," Sky said, glaring at the two. "We don't have the slightest clue where Twilight is- fighting is only going to make things worse."

Warriors and Time were silent. Sky could see their eyes clouding over from guilt.

"We're all under a lot of stress," Sky continued, shifting slightly to keep Wind comfortable. "But infighting will just make things worse."

"We can talk about this later," Wild piped up, tapping his foot impatiently. "For now, Twilight is our priority here."

"Wild is right," Legend affirmed. "He could be anywhere. How are we going to find him?"

"We could split up," Four responded, glancing around the trees. "Into groups of two or three. That way we could search the area faster."

"That might be the only plan that could possibly work," Warriors said quietly. "Traveling together would slow each other down."

He threw a glance at Time, who frowned back.

"Alright, let's split up."

A few minutes later, they had all split off into four groups of two (coincidence, i think not-) and had scattered into the trees in hopes of finding Twilight.

Four had ended up with Sky, which was almost a blessing. Sky was angry, yes, but Four could tolerate Sky the best.

Especially with four people screaming in his head.

_"Green, I think I saw something."_

_"You said this five times."_

_"No, seriously! I saw something black!"_

Four looked in the direction Blue said, only seeing leaves rustling lightly.

_"Really?"_

_"I'm serious! There was something there!"_

"Sky, did you see anything?"

The Skyloftian's eyes swept around the path before shaking his head.

_"See, Blue?"_

_"Well why don't you try looking for him?!"_

_"Guys, stop fighting!"_

_"Stay out of this, Red!"_

Sky and Four walked down the path for a few more minutes, each of them looking around meticulously. They had to find Twilight.

Not just for their sake- for everyone's sake.

_"Do you see that?"_

_"Vio, Green just said-"_

_"I'm saying this in present tense- do you see that on the ground?!"_

Four looked down and-

"Hey, that's- isn't that Twilight's earring?"

Sky followed Four's gaze and almost choked on his breath.

Lo, behold, there was one of the earrings Twilight always wore.

Drops of red were splattered beside it, coloring the ground with crimson.

_"Shit."_

A cacophony of panicked screaming burst into life inside Four's head. He could hear Green yelling, Blue shouting obscene things, Vio reciting something to calm himself down, Red crying, and he could hear nothing-

"...Twilight can take care of himself," Sky said suddenly, his hands curled into tight fists. "If he was attacked, I'm sure he's fine."

Four barely heard Sky, but he got the message.

Twilight was fine.

He had to be fine.

He was fine.

"C'mon," Four said quietly, his voice too quiet under the orchestra of voices. He bent down and picked up the blue hoop gingerly, stuffing it inside his pouch before setting off, Sky at his heels.

Twilight was ahead somewhere.

The world was silent, his head too loud.

Both were deafening.

There weren't too many clues left on the ground as they arrived in front of a gate. To the left of Four was an open area. There was someone sitting on a log in front of their house, a fire burning with a pot above it.

"Should we go ask him if Twilight came by?" Four asked, trying to shut out the noise.

_"YES! WHAT DO YOU THINK?!"_

_"Blue, calm down!"_

_"Go ask him!"_

_"Guys, shut it! They're going to go anyways!"_

Sky nodded silently, tensely, quickly turning and making his way over to the guy.

Four followed slowly, wishing he could hiss at the voices to quiet down. At least Green was getting the job done for him.

Red was still sobbing as the others tried to calm him down.

"Red, it'll be okay," Four muttered quietly, which seemed to calm the boy down somewhat.

_"It better be okay."_

"It will, Green. Trust us."

Four could see Sky talking up ahead when he saw another splash-

"There's blood on this tree," he said, veering off to the right. There was a smile carved on a tree, dark red dripping from the mouth. It looked almost fresh, like someone was just there.

"Do you think that's from Twilight?" Sky's voice asked. Four jumped and whirled around, whipping out his sword before sighing in relief.

"You scared me... and I really hope not," Four replied, sheathing his sword carefully.

_"It's not from Twi, right?!"_ Red asked, sniffling.

_"...Let's hope not."_

"Did the guy see him?"

"He said he saw a wolf in the grass with blue eyes," Sky reported, crossing his arms. "He says that he sees the wolf pretty often so there's nothing to worry about."

_"Twilight was here."_

_"Wow, you're a genius! I never would have guessed!"_

_"Blue, shut it."_

Four's eyes darted around. Where could have the wolf gone to...

"He also said that he saw the wolf heading towards the gates," Sky finished, glancing over at the gate.

"Let's go, then."

"Huh, Four-"

"I have a feeling that Twilight's in there," Four responded, dashing over to the gates.

As the two ran over, Four backflipped away from a plant-thing that burst out of the ground, poison dripping from it's mouth threateningly.

"What _is_ that?!" Four yelled, unsheathing his sword, the gem flashing blue.

"Here," Sky said, drawing his own sword.

With a mighty yell, Sky brought his sword to the side in a wide arc, destroying the plant immediately.

_"Hell yeah, Sky!"_

"Let's go!"

The two dashed in and ran into the cave, wary of more monsters.

"How many monsters are _in here?"_ Four groaned, slashing more Keese to the ground.

"Way more than I thought," Sky grunted, thrusting his shield out to bash a monster in its face before he brought his sword down in a deadly arc.

They were in almost pitch darkness, if not for the torches scattered around the cave. Had Twilight lit these on his way?

"I hope we're going in the right direction," Four muttered, ducking under a dive from more Keese. "If Twilight had to deal with all of this..."

He trailed off. A grim, almost empty silence filled his head- he didn't have these moments very often.

He didn't like it.

Sky had gone quiet, opting to focus on fighting.

They didn't need to think about the possibilities.

Through the dim light of the torches, the two could see a brighter light up ahead, lighting up the cave.

Through it, they could see a large opening with fallen trees, stones, surrounded by a light mist with a purplish tint.

"Up ahead!" Four called, sprinting for all he was worth. Sky followed, his eye nervously darting around.

This seemed to snap the four out of their trance. His head immediately burst into life, Blue yelling to go faster, Red screaming to _hurry,_ Vio restraining Blue from tackling Green trying to get Four running faster _faster-_

Outside, it seemed much bigger. The ground had sloped downward into a large, shallow hole, and-

"Is there an exit?" Sky wondered, his gaze flickering to the trees to the side.

Four scanned the area carefully, his narrowed eyes flashing purple. After a second, Vio shook his head.

"I can't see one."

"Well, let's split up and see if there is one. This area is too big for us to work together and find Twilight in time," Sky commanded, dashing off to the right. "If you find anything, just shout!"

Four nodded, running straight down the slope and into the mist.

"Purplish tint..." Four muttered to himself.

_"You wouldn't think it's... Dark Link, do you?"_

"Don't be ridiculous. How would-"

_"It's a valid possibility."_

Four sighed and continued on, looking for an exit, or something.

A few minutes passed with no result. It was a lot bigger than he thought it was.

There wasn't anything he had found, except for a trace of blood that he honestly thought wasn't real until he put his finger on it.

Twilight had been here.

As he searched for something, anything, he never noticed the sharp, icy cold eyes following him, watching him carefully.

"...Hide and seek. Only they don't know how to seek and I don't know how to hide."

* * *

"SKY!"

Four's eyes flashed blue for a split second as he inhaled to scream.

"SKY I FOUND THE EXIT!"

His yell echoed through the trees, an ominous silence following after.

After a bit of searching, Four had found a gate with a path somewhere else. There were tiny prints of feet leading away.

It could only belong to Twilight.

"SKY!"

Where was Sky? He couldn't go without him.

_"Leave him behind- Twilight is our top priority!"_

"But-"

_"Blue's right, we have to find Twi!"_

Four glanced around in a slight panic. He didn't want to leave his brother behind.

But-

_"Just go, he'll thank you later!"_

Hating the fact that Vio was right, Four dashed off, his eyes on the ground. The prints had faded by the time he arrived in a clearing.

There were splatters of blood on the ground, black fog surrounding it.

Monsters.

Twilight was here somewhere.

He agreed with the old man- Twilight wouldn't have left them behind.

He couldn't have.

"Twi? Are you there?!" Four yelled, walking through the clearing quickly. "Twiiii!"

Nothing.

It was quiet until-

"Hey! Buy something, hey!"

Four's head whipped to the side.

A bird rested on a perch with a box below it, two cauldrons to the side, red and yellow.

"Buy something, hey!"

_"Birds talk...?"_

_"I'm not exactly sure."_

_"Most of the time, no...?"_

"Buy what?" Four asked, making his way toward the fenced in area.

"Oil and red potions!"

Four took a look in the red pot and took out a bottle, dipping it in the crimson liquid.

"Pay in the box!"

"How much?"

"Twenty!"

_"What are you doing?!"_

"It's for Twi, just in case," Four murmured, depositing twenty rupees into the box.

_"That's if we find him."_

_"Vio, we're going to find him."_

_"Green, this isn't- there's always a chance."_

_"It's not hopeless."_

_"But what if he left? What if we can't find him?"_

Four glanced around, shutting out the arguments. He could see a path of stone that led up to a huge building of sorts. It looked almost like a temple.

Had Twilight gone into that temple? They probably wouldn't be able to find him if he did.

_"Blue..."_

_"He's not in there, dammit!"_

_"Blue's right, he wouldn't just leave us behind!"_

It was getting increasingly harder to shut them out.

Green had gone completely silent, opting to make sure they didn't miss anything.

As Four made his way over to the pathway, he suddenly stopped at the voice of Green.

_"Guys, look."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Over there."_

Four glanced over to the right and blinked. There was a large patch of grass and an opening with bits of rock scattered on the ground.

_"Do you think he might be in there?"_

_"The chances are pretty low."_

_"We gotta search anyways."_

He slipped into a small clearing with long, branchlike pieces of wood sticking out of the ground. There was a large platform of wood to his left, a jumping distance away from the branches.

"Twilight?!" Four called, scanning the area.

There were quiet footsteps from the top his ears picked up. He lifted his gaze to see icy blue eyes staring down at him, darkness surrounding him.

"Twilight!"

"...Four?"

_"He's here! See, Vio?"_

_"I guess I was wrong. My mistake."_

_"Aw come on, Vio! At least try to be happy?"_

_"No, I'm relieved. You're just refusing to look at me at the moment."_

"Twi- you're here! We've been looking all over for you!"

The Ordonian fully revealed himself, stepping out into the light. His hair was disheveled and he looked exhausted, red eyes and all.

"Sorry about that. I just... needed to be alone for a bit."

_"How did you even get up there?!"_

_"Blue, shut up."_

Four laughed in relief, tears building up in his eyes, which was crimson for just a second.

"How are you going to get down?"

"I have my ways," Twilight answered, his mouth curling up in a small smile. He shook his head, taking a leap off the platform towards the ground, landing in a roll to absorb the impact.

"You alright?" Four asked, his eyes scanning the other carefully.

Twilight hummed quietly, nodding unconvincingly.

"I'm okay," he muttered, his smile falling flat. "I just hope I didn't mess up anything..."

Four bit back a comment about Warriors and Time. He didn't need Twilight to beat himself up about that.

Not on top of everything that he had on his plate.

"Look, about earlier-"

Twilight froze up before relaxing, his face going blank.

"I'm sorry about that."

"What are you sorry about?"

"For not stopping them."

The Ordonian shrugged, shoulders tensing up.

"It wasn't your fault."

"It was all of ours. I owe you an apology."

_"Four apologies."_

Twilight sighed, turning his gaze upwards.

"It's really nothing, okay? I just- I just wish Legend had been more careful," Twilight whispered, his book straining under his grip.

"If you tell him, I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yeah... I suppose."

They were quiet and motionless for a second, taking comfort in their companionship.

"Let's go, I need to go find Sky."

"What happened to him?"

"We split up to look for you, and Sky and I got grouped together, so when we went out to find you, we split up and I never saw Sky," Four explained, handing Twilight the bottle of red and his blue hoop.

"Here, we found this on the ground with blood and I thought you needed this."

Stunned, Twilight took his earring and the potion.

"Th-Thank you," he answered, popping the cork out and taking a few sips. With a fluid motion, Twilight slipped on blue hoop on his ear, wiping away the blood that had been falling there.

"Twi, why-"

"Monsters, you might have seen them earlier."

So Twilight had killed them.

"Well, you know your way around best, so lead the way," Four said.

"Don't you know better where Sky is?"

"He could be in a cave for all I know."

"Well, you have the general sense of direction. I'll lead you back, and it's your turn."

* * *

They ended up not finding him and Twilight lead the way back, only to find the Skyloftian back at where they started, along with everyone else.

"You're back!"

"Twilight!"

The others greeted him warmly, almost worriedly. Time especially, who pulled his protege into a hug and whispered something into his ear.

Legend tapped his foot nervously, watching Twilight carefully.

"Oh good, you found him," Sky whispered to Four, who laughed and elbowed Sky lightly.

"I yelled at you but you didn't answer."

"I didn't hear you because I passed out from... something," Sky answered, shrugging. "I don't know why, and then I found myself at the beginning and I decided it wasn't worth the trouble going back, especially when you probably had found the way."

"I was really worried."

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. Besides, I found Twi, luckily."

Smiling, Sky lifted his gaze to Twilight, who had been tackled by Wild, sobbing into his chest in relief.

"Yes you did."

They watched Time attempt to extract Wild from Twilight when Legend spoke up.

"Look, I..."

"I know," Twilight cut him off, shaking his head. "You already told me, and I get it. Just be more careful next time, will you?"

He winced at the harshness but Legend was nodding.

"Of course."

Warriors threw a glance at the old man.

"Sorry about earlier," he said quickly, refusing to make eye contact. "I was being an idiot."

"It's alright. Have more faith in us, will you?" Time answered with a chuckle, still wrestling with Wild for control.

"Wait, wha-"

"You don't need to know," Four called.

"Well, I'm sorry about earlier," Twilight apologized, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mean to start anything."

"We should be apologizing to you," Wild called from being locked in Time's arms. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

The others nodded and Twilight smiled, closing his eyes.

"You guys are too lenient on me."

"Shut up and take the apology."

Warriors moved up, clapping Twilight's shoulder.

"Well, anyhow, you feeling alright? the captain asked, concern slipping into his tone.

"Nothing a bit of rest won't fix up," Twilight responded with a lopsided grin. "I'll be fine, guys, don't be so worried."

"Whatever you say," Four responded. "Just know that we'll try not to make the same mistake again."

"I appreciate it."

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAAA- 
> 
> THIS WAS A BLAST TO WRITE *screams*
> 
> This is EASILY one of the longest things I have written! HOW DID I DO THIS?! IT TOOK AT LEAST A MONTH AND PRIDE IS ALL I HAVE RIGHT NOW AAAAA
> 
> I REALLY REALLY REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED READING THIS XD It took me so long and I really had a lot of fun writing it! :D
> 
> Also funny note: I accidentally forgot Four in the middle of it while typing it out XD I was yelling 'who am I missing?' and then after a few minutes I realized I was stupid and it was Four XD
> 
> So anyways, all of you reading this, thank you for reading this crazy thing!
> 
> Happy New Year! :DDD


End file.
